Choking on Camels

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!" (Matthew 23:23, 24)

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER MAY 2, 2013 CHOKING ON CAMELS

“If My people who are called by My name
humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
(2 Chronicles 7:14)

Christians, we are the people of God, in
Jesus Christ.

American Christians, our nation, The United
States of America, is hurting and in need of healing.

The U.S.A. is sick with sin. Our nation is being
decimated and destroyed by evils, most of them of our own making. We see it all
around us, we see it in the news and social medias: terrorist attacks, major
disasters both man-made and natural, mass murders from children in public
schools to new born children in abortion mills, the horrific list goes on and
on.

But the important thing is that there is healing, and there
is hope.

The key to unlock the door to national healing is prayer,
the prayers of God’s people, the church, Christians.

It is the people of God who must humble themselves and make
sure they are putting God first (Matthew 16:24, 25). When we do that, then we
can truly pray and believe that God will answer us as we pray according to His
will (1 John 5:14, 15). In faithful prayer, we are seeking God’s face, His
presence, acknowledging that He alone is our salvation and our help (Psalm 105:1-4).
Then, in the presence of a holy God, we must and we can turn from our wicked
ways in faith and repentance (2 Corinthians 7:9, 10).

Now the door is unlocked. God will hear us from heaven,
because He is also near to us, with us and in us (Matthew 7:7-11). God will
forgive not only our sins but our sin, our very sinfulness (1John 1:8, 9). God
will heal our land, as He heals His people, and as His church lives out His commission
to us to share with others Christ’s Good News of salvation, being made well,
healing and wholeness, through repentance and faith (Matthew 28:18-20).

Christians, as we pray without ceasing (1Thessalonians
5:17), living lives of prayer and living prayerful lives, we will be offering
hope and the way to healing for those around us, for our fellow citizens, for
the people of our nation.

Thursday, May 2, is National Day of Prayer 2013. There are
many ways in which you can participate and get involved that can be found here:

There is a search engine you can use to find a National Day
of Prayer event in your area. You can watch or listen to the National
Observance on TV or the above website, listen to a Prayer Summit on the radio
or the web, or take part in a National Prayer Call. There is also a National
Day of Prayer Facebook community.

Look for details on upcoming national prayer initiatives at Commit2Pray.com
and look for the first global PrayerCast, LIVE, on October 18th and
19th.

For downloading, there is a free ebook and free small group
study guides that can be used long after National Day of Prayer. It is
important that we regularly study about prayer.

Most of all, of course, it is most vital that we pray
regularly, that we indeed pray without ceasing, making prayer our lifestyle.

Christians, let’s start praying today, pray on the National
Day of Prayer, and pray daily for our nation. Commit to pray regularly for these
seven centers of influence in our nation: government, military, media,
business, education, church and family.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

THE DEPRESSED PROPHET: NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH MONTH MAY 2013

"Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and
how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a
messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do
not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” And
he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which
belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey
into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he
requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O Lord,
take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.” (1 Kings 19:1-4)

1 Kings 18 tells of how Elijah was used by God to bring
about a great victory against the prophets of the false god Baal, whom Israel
was worshiping at that time, under the influence of evil King Ahab and Queen
Jezebel. Elijah prayed and God sent fire from heaven to consume the offering
Elijah had made, then Elijah had the prophets of Baal killed.

But when Ahab tells Jezebel what happened, the wicked queen
threatens Elijah’s life. After defeating 450 prophets, Elijah is now running
from one woman. He is so anxious and afraid that he prays to God to take his
life.

Why such a quick turnaround in the attitude and outlook of
Elijah the prophet?

Elijah had many of the symptoms of depression, for example
those found here:

Elijah’s mocking of the prophets of Baal and of the false
god itself, as well as the way he confronted the people of Israel about
worshiping Baal, may have expressed irritability.
During his great victory, he also shows signs of restlessness.

Elijah had not slept
excessively, if at all. However, early-morning wakefulness may have been
a factor. The day of battling with Baal’s prophets must have been exhausting.
Yet the prophet made a God-powered but still long hard run to Jezreel in which
he ran so fast he outran Ahab’s chariot. It is most probable that at this point
he experienced fatigue and decreased energy.

The prophet went from focused, clear and decisive to having difficulty concentrating on God instead
of the enemy. He seemed to have trouble remembering
the details of his very recent victory, which included God’s answer to his
prayer for rain after a three and a half year drought. He had a hard time making decisions about how best to deal
with Jezebel’s threats.

People suffering from depression usually have a loss of interest in activities or hobbies
they once found pleasurable. The prophet of God showed no interest in doing
anything but running away, fearful
for his life, the past victories and blessings of God forgotten.

It seems likely that Elijah got no sleep whatsoever before
getting the message from Jezebel to look out for his life and taking right off
for the wilderness. Insomnia very
likely contributed to his state of depression, and he twice fell asleep after
his run to the wilderness.

Overeating was no
problem for Elijah, as even food was likely not enjoyable to him at this point.
The prophet apparently had such a loss of
appetite thatthe angel of The
Lord had to twice fix food for him and urge him to eat.

Persistent aches or
pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with
treatment are often among the physical symptoms of depression. Elijah had
been through an exhausting battle and taken a long high speed run, then a trip
into the wilderness, almost certainly without food or sleep. It seems unlikely
he had no physical symptoms at all, as they are so common with depression, and
he showed so many of the psychological and spiritual symptoms.

While Elijah didn’t seem to feel guilt, he felt helpless
to do anything in the face of the threat against his life, and so worthless he wanted to die. He clearly
felt overwhelming pessimism and hopelessness. While Elijah made no
suicide attempts that we know of, he had definite thoughts of suicide, even praying to God and asking God to kill
him.

Elijah appeared to experience persistent sad, anxious, and "empty" feelings, at least
during his battle with Baal’s prophets, his run to Jezreel, his time in the
wilderness, and even during part of his time on the mountain of God.

Personal problems such
as social isolation due to other mental illnesses, physical problems, or being
cast out of a family or social group can lead to depression.

In a nation that had turned to worshiping a false god,
Elijah as a prophet of God had been an outcast. It was as though he lost his
“church”, the people he worshiped with, as well as his country. Now, the nation
had declared that they worshiped God again, so to some extent he had his
country and his “church” back.

Yet Elijah now seems to feel more isolated than ever. After
eating and sleeping, he goes to the mountain of God, Mount Horeb, and sets up
house in a cave. He tells God he is all alone, even though the people just
worshiped God with him a little over 40 days earlier. He also had forgotten
about the 100 prophets Obadiah had told him he had hidden in caves to protect
them from Jezebel (1 Kings 18:13).

So God tells Elijah gently, in the sound of a soft breeze,
that there are still 7,000 people in Israel who have not worshiped Baal at all.
That’s a lot of people, and a long way from being alone. Most of all, God was
with Elijah.

We don’t know that depression, at least as what today would
be a mental health diagnosis, was a lifelong thing for Elijah. The prophet’s
depression may have started with his conflict with and triumph over the
prophets of Baal and his fearful flight from Jezebel, and it may have ended
soon after with the comforting voice of God and the assurance that in spite of
how he felt, in how he felt, he was not alone.

The rest of the story of Elijah in God’s word indicates that
his depression either ended or was under control, no longer and never again
debilitating, once God spoke to Him in that still small voice in a cave in the
mountain of God.

The story of Elijah shows us both what depression looks like
and how we can cope with and overcome depression.

But in order to live with and above depression, we must know
not only the symptoms but the causes, so that we can get to the roots and pull
them out. Just as Elijah suffered these symptoms of depression, his depression
was caused by the same things that can cause depression for any of us.

Physical, sexual,
emotional or spiritual abuses are almost certain to cause serious depression.
At the least, Elijah was severely abused emotionally and spiritually. Abuse is
always bad, and anyone in an abusive situation needs to get out, get away, and
get help, just as Elijah did.

Major life events may
be good or bad; a new job or a lost job, divorce or marriage, the loss of a
child or the birth of a child, graduation or failure to graduate, being
arrested or freed from jail, promotion or downsizing, moving, changing schools.
Elijah definitely went through a number of major life events in a short period
of time. We all deal with different changes in different ways at different
times, so any kind of major life event can bring on depression. Unlike abuse,
change can be accepted or embraced.

Depression may result from personal conflicts or disputes with family members, friends,
enemies, anyone. This is true whether the conflict is constructive or
destructive, and whether it is handled positively or negatively. Elijah had
plenty of personal conflicts and disputes, and so will we; it is part of life. Conflict
can worked out and worked through, it can be dealt with.

Probably everyone gets depressed sometime, to some degree.
Maybe not to the point of clinical depression, but in any case it disrupts life
enough to make us aware of what depression can do to a person.

Numbers vary, and but some estimates indicate that 14.8, about
7% of the U.S. adult population, suffer from a major depressive disorder in any
given year. Major depressive disorders are the leading cause of disability in
the U.S. for ages 18-44. Many more deal with depression that might not be
medically classified as “major”, and it may not disable a person. But
depression is like surgery, it’s only minor when it happens to someone else.

Speaking from experience, it is best not to delay dealing
with depression. It may be enough to talk to trusted friends or family about
what is depressing you, or you may need short or long term counseling,
medication or both. It depends on everything from genes, family history, living
environment, what has happened, how often it happens, how long it has happened,
what kind of support system you have or do not have, and a lot more.

If you feel depressed, if people are commenting or asking
about you being depressed, or if you have symptoms of depression, it is
important to at least look into it further and seek out those who might be able
to help.

Avoid those giving simplistic answers of any kind,
particularly “spiritual answers” like “pray more” or “get closer to God”. Of
course we all need to pray and get closer to God, but there are a lot of ways
to do that.

Whether church, family, friends, groups in which you
participate, professional counselors, medical professionals, or all of the above, a strong support system
is important not only to living with and above depression, but also to lowering
the risks of having further major bouts of depression.

May is National Mental Health Month in the USA. Depression
is just one of many mental illnesses Elijah may have fought with and that many
of us or people we know may fight with as well. Forty million Americans 18 and
older, 18% of us, have various anxiety disorders such as panic, obsessive
compulsive and post traumatic stress, as well as various phobias and
personality disorders.

Depression is a more common mental health issue that most
people can relate to out of some experience sometime in their life. If you have
never been depressed, you surely know someone who has, probably someone close
to you. We can all relate to depression, we can to some degree understand it as
a reality even if we have trouble grasping the degrees to which it can
overwhelm someone.

So let’s remember and reach out to those around us dealing
with depression, and with other mental illnesses. Even if you don’t think you
can help them at all—and don’t underestimate yourself, or especially how God
can use you—then surely you can help your depressed family members and friends
find others who can help more than you might be able to.

During this National Mental Health Month, please pray for
those coping with depression and other mental illnesses. Help the depressed
around you, help others be aware so they can help. Any of us can face
depression just as Elijah did, and any of us can overcome depression just as
Elijah did, with the help and support of others and by the grace of God.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

THE UNFORGIVABLE SIN

"31 “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy
shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be
forgiven. 32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven
him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him,
either in this age or in the age to come." (Matthew 12)

What is blasphemy against The Holy Spirit?

Jesus had just cast out of a man a demon that had made him
blind and unable to speak. Even though the man was able to see and speak again,
some Pharisees declared that Jesus only casts out demons through Beelzebub the
prince of demons. (12:22-24). Jesus responded that He was casting out demons
through The Spirit of God (28).

So blaspheming The Holy Spirit is attributing His work to
the devil. The unpardonable sin is calling The Spirit of God Who works in and
through Jesus Christ evil and an evil doer.

The Pharisees who said that Jesus cast out demons by
Beelzebub committed this unforgivable sin of blaspheming The Holy Spirit.

Christians may likewise commit this unpardonable sin.

Hebrews 6:4-6 speaks of those who have been enlightened by
and have become partakers in The Holy Spirit through faith, having tasted the
good word of God and the heavenly gift of salvation and the power of God. The
writer declares that such people, clearly meaning Christians, can fall away.
When they do fall away, the author of Hebrews continues, it is impossible to
restore them to repentance. Why? Because they have crucified again Jesus Christ
Who made a once for all sacrifice to save them from their sins, and they have
put Him to open shame.

Turning and falling away from God and His salvation in
willful unbelief is blaspheming The Holy Spirit by rejecting His good work
through what Christ has done as being of no good and in fact evil. Such
apostasy (falling away) apparently moves one beyond the point of no return,
beyond the hope of being renewed in repentance.

Jesus speaks of only one unpardonable sin. Here in Hebrews
6, I believe, is the same blasphemy and unpardonable sin of which Jesus speaks
in Matthew 12.

1 John 5:16 teaches us that all sin is unrighteousness, but
there are sins not leading to death, but only one sin that leads to death. We
should pray for fellow Christians who have performed sins not leading to death,
that they may be given life, and be restored to life in Christ. The wages of
all sin is death, but the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord is life,
eternal life.

But when Christians have committed the sin leading to death,
their fellow Christians are not to pray that they will be given life.

Again, there is only one unforgivable sin. So the sin
leading to death must be the blasphemy of The Holy Spirit of which Jesus speaks,
the total rejection of the saving work of The Holy Spirit of which the author
of the Book of Hebrews speaks. Since this sin appears to be beyond forgiveness
or repentance, because it is said to lead to death, it seems we are not to try
to lead those committing the blasphemy of The Holy Spirit to pardon, repentance
and life.

Some Christians, maybe many Christians, have at some point
feared that they may have blasphemed The Holy Spirit, that they were lost and
without hope of ever being saved again, that they were doomed to the eternal
punishment of hell. There may be some who are reading this who have such fear
for themselves or for someone else.

Christians, if we are concerned that we may have carried out
the unforgivable sin, it seems certain that we have not blasphemed The Holy
Spirit. Our worries could only come from one of two places.

First, the devil and the forces of evil might be trying to
frighten us into abandoning our faith in despair. If we have sinned, and
especially if we are in some sort of habitual sinful practices, Satan the
accuser will use guilt to grow in us a sense of hopelessness. This is one of
many reasons why it is vital that we not get caught up in sinful lifestyles,
and that we promptly repent of all sins and turn back to God.

However, why would the evil powers try to drive us to the
belief that we were forever lost, unless we were indeed not forever lost? If
the devil is trying to convince us that we are doomed, we not only are not doomed
we are at least trying to live the Christian life.

If it is not the work of Satan, then our concerns that we
might have blasphemed The Holy Spirit must come from the work of The Holy Spirit
in us. The Spirit of God is working to convict us of sin so that we can turn
from our sins and turn to God before we can no longer repent.

So, a Christian who is afraid they have committed the sin that
leads to death has doubtless not practiced that great apostasy, that
blaspheming of The Spirit.

Thus we should always pray for one another, that we might
live holy lives, repent of any sin, receive Christ’s forgiveness for that sin,
and recommit ourselves to being holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:13-16).

But according to the Apostle John, when a Christian sees
another Christian committing the sin leading to death, we are not to pray for
God to give that person life in their sins. That would just be death, and that’s
why it’s called a sin that leads to death.

Yet that doesn’t mean we are not to pray for them at all. We
can pray for them to repent of the sin that is leading them to death, so that,
forgiven for and freed from their deadly sin, they may have life again.

But why pray for someone to repent if they have fallen away
from the faith, crucifying Christ again and putting Him to shame? Isn’t it
impossible for them to repent? Aren’t they past the point of no return?

How do we know for sure that we have seen someone commit the
sin which leads to death, beyond the possibility of repentance? How do we know
without a doubt that someone has blasphemed The Holy Spirit, calling the work
of Christ through The Spirit evil and thus perpetrating the unpardonable sin?

It seems to be possible that we could know when someone has
committed the unforgivable sin. But I’m not going to be the one to make that
kind of judgment call. That’s not a stone I’m ready to throw, and I doubt I
ever will be ready for that. I know I don’t want to be one who gives up on
someone when maybe God is still at work in them.

In fact, I wonder about any Christian who is ready to
condemn someone as beyond hope, who refuses to pray for them and try to lead
them back to Christ in repentance and faith. It might just be that such a
condemning Christian is the one rejecting the work The Spirit of God may be
doing in someone who seems forever lost. To do this is at least dangerously
close to blaspheming The Holy Spirit, calling His work evil instead of good.

Do I believe a Christian could commit sin leading to death,
blaspheming The Holy Spirit and rejecting God beyond a chance of repentance?
Yes, these verses, as well as my understanding of salvation by grace through
faith, compel me to believe that one can indeed fall away from the faith for
good.

Yes, I know it is possible for someone to permanently reject
their salvation. But no, I do not know when a person has reached that point.

So I believe mutual accountability for holy living and
Biblical church discipline (Matthew 18:15-18) is vital to the Christian life. It
is so important that we love one another in Christ and that we help each other
to worship and love Christ with our whole being and love our neighbors as
ourselves. We must pray for each other that we will together stand firm in and
walk steadfastly in the faith as we are led by The Holy Spirit in the grace of
Jesus Christ to the glory of God The Father.

Committing the unforgivable sin is not something to be
feared when we are committed to worshiping, loving and serving God, and loving
each other and all people in His Name.

As the Apostle John says elsewhere, “There
is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear…” (1 John 4:18).

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

UNBORN NON-PERSONS

“And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them;
but the disciples rebuked them.But when Jesus saw
this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the
children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to
such as these.Truly I say to you, whoever does not
receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”And
He took them in His arms and began
blessing them, laying His hands on them.” (Mark 10:13-16)We were discussing this
passage during a Lent Bible Study. The Bible study leader pointed out that,
according to some commentators, children in Jesus’ time and culture were
considered non-persons. Then he asked us to name some non-persons in our time
and culture. My immediate answer was,
“The unborn”. What people are thought of
as not being people more than the unborn? In the First Century A.D.,
when Jesus Christ walked the earth, the dominant culture in His part of the
world and well beyond was that of the Romans, who dominated other cultures and
peoples with their mighty empire. Apparently the Romans considered
children to be the property of their fathers. The father got to decide whether
or not his children could even exist as part of his family. A newborn would be
laid on the ground and if the father did not pick him or her up, they were left
abandoned on the ground to die or taken in by someone else. If allowed to live,
children were still considered property, like servants or slaves. Jewish children, as a rule,
seem to have received better treatment. However, the idea of children as
property was not absent, and Jewish families, especially poor ones, still
sometimes abandoned their children, though usually making sure there was
someone nearby who might take them in.In any case, the way Jesus
treated the children even His disciples wanted to turn away as unworthy, or at
least nuisances, was radical. He declared and demonstrated that children were
not only worthy, but that they were people that we could learn from and whom we
should be more like. Today, in most cultures,
including much of the institutional church in those cultures, unborn children
are considered the property of their mothers. Unborn child are seen as non
persons, body parts that have been added through conception to their mothers’
body. These spare parts may be removed from the mothers’ family at any time for
any reason, destroyed and disposed of before they can even be born. It is not natural for mothers and family
members to turn their children over to death. This is something they have been
taught to do by an abortion industry fueled culture of death that is over a
generation old. Our culture has taught us to be silent about this and even to
shout down opposition. We have learned the lesson well, even in the
institutional church. Now, as in the First Century AD, Jesus Christ
rebukes us when we treat children as non-persons and property. Likewise He
rebukes us when we treat children as less than human or even as lesser humans. Jesus
rebukes us when we directly abandon unborn children to death, when we give
approval to those who do so, and yes when we fail to speak out and stand up for
“the least of these”.In the United States of America and in many
other countries, we think (or we try to tell ourselves) that we are a civilized
society because of form of government, our “education”, our technology.

But a society in which people will in any way participate in abandoning the most
helpless among us to death is not a civilized society. The fact that those people call themselves
Christians makes them not more civilized, but less civilized. As Christians, Christ
calls us to be more than civilized, He calls us to be Christ-like, to be like
Him. He welcomed children and held them up as models of faith and what it means
to be a part of His Kingdom, The Kingdom of God. Jesus calls us to do the same.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

What does the word “believe” mean to you? What does it mean
to believe in something?

For many of us, to “believe” means to mentally acknowledge
or agree with something. Believing is, mostly if not entirely, a matter of the
mind.

Many unfortunate translations of the Greek
in which the New Testament was written fail to properly render many instances
of believe in its various forms. A classic example of this is in probably
the most well-known verse in the Bible.

John 3:16 is, in most Bible versions, translated something
like this: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” That’s the New American
Standard Bible, one of the English translations that usually stays close to the
NT Greek.

Young’s Literal Translation captures the
meaning of the Greek much better: “For God did so love
the world, that His Son -- the only begotten -- He gave, that every one who is believing in him may not perish, but
may have life age-during.”

“Is
believing in him”: Believing is an action verb, and the word tense, a
common one in the NT Greek, indicates ongoing action. Believing in him is the
ongoing action, the active lifestyle of believing in Jesus Christ the only
begotten Son of God. This is what I like to call “be-living” in Jesus Christ.

Be-living is not merely agreeing with facts
about Jesus Christ, such as His eternal being as God, birth to a virgin, miracles,
teachings, suffering, death and resurrection. We do have to affirm these as the
facts that they are, because this is the foundation of our be-living; we have
to know Who and what we are be-living in and for. This is the very important
first step, but it’s only the first step.

To be-live in Jesus Christ is to be-live
with our whole being. Heart, mind, soul and strength, will, thought, spirit and
body, are to be-living in and for Jesus Christ.

In Mark 12:29-31, Jesus tells us that we
are to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength,
and to love our neighbor as ourselves. To be-live in and for Jesus Christ is to
love Him and to love others in His Name.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the
weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these
are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.You
blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! (Mt 23:23, 24)

The Pharisees, including their scribes or writers, were a sect
of Jews that thrived during the time of Jesus Christ on earth. They held that it
was not enough to obey the written Law of God, but that the oral tradition of
laws laid down by Jews over the centuries must also be obeyed. Those laws, many
of them being of their own making, were meticulously recorded by their scribes,
so that they could be followed to the letter.

One such law was that the possibility of accidentally
swallowing unclean animals, even tiny bugs like gnats, must be avoided. This
was done by pouring drinks into drinking vessels through a cloth or a sieve, in
order to strain or filter out bugs before drinking. There was nothing wrong with this practice of
straining out gnats, which were probably the smallest unclean animals known to
the Jews. But in the process they swallowed camels, most likely the largest of
the unclean animals known to them, and that was wrong.

Of course, the Pharisees did not literally swallow actual
camels. Christ is using a humorous word picture, and perhaps sarcasm, to point
out how they scrupulously steered clear of smaller sins while boldly embracing
much bigger behaviors of disobedience to God.

Jesus rightly called the Pharisees hypocrites. They
conscientiously kept to laws that carried less weight, such as giving ten
percent to God (tithing), right down to the smallest garden herbs. But the laws
that carried more weight, the laws that were the basis of the other laws and
gave them meaning, they neglected. The Pharisaic crowd put aside vital matters
like the justice, mercy and faithfulness of God, extended toward their fellow
human beings.

However, being careful to avoid even the appearance of sin
in relatively minor matters, while abandoning all caution when it comes to clearly
committing sin in more major matters, is not exclusive to the ancient sect of
the Pharisees. Tragically, those of us today who profess Jesus Christ as Lord
and Savior, who claim to be born again of and indwelt by The Holy Spirit, and
guided by the word of God, may also strain out gnats and swallow camels, and
show ourselves to be at least as hypocritical as the Pharisees.

The purpose of this blog is try to help us all to, with The
Holy Spirit as our Guide and the Bible as our map, put things in their proper
place.

The Church, the people of God, must believe in and live out
those things that are really vital, while not making less significant things
out to be more essential than they are in the Kingdom of God. This is of
eternal importance to the glory of God, and to the present and eternal
well-being and blessedness of ourselves and our fellow human beings.

We can only be the people God created us to be in His image,
we can only worship God in spirit and in truth, and we can only show others the
way to Jesus Christ and salvation in Him, if we put first things first and all
things in their proper places.

It is understood that what seems to be of greater or lesser
importance will vary from Christian to Christian and church to church. It is
also understood that Christians understand and apply the word of God in
different ways. That’s why there will be plenty of posting about the authority
of Scripture as well as Biblical interpretation and application.

On this blog, we will discuss matters that many will agree
upon as being very important, and others that many will see as not so
important. Just because something is not a top priority doesn’t mean it has no
significance for the Christian faith and life, and it does not mean we
shouldn’t discuss it either. We can discuss the weightier matters without
neglecting the others.

The idea is to try to give more attention to more those beliefs
and practices that are more vital according to the Scriptures, to set them up
as the foundation upon which all other beliefs and practices should be built.
Then we can apply the word of God and live out the Christian life accordingly.

Choking on a camel can kill you, or you can cough it up,
spit it out, and learn & grow from the experience.